In an increasingly interconnected world, offshore coding has piqued the interest of many health information management (HIM) directors hoping to cut costs, alleviate staffing shortages, and tap into a new pool of talented individuals. Coding companies have worked earnestly to train overse....

Although health information management professionals are still wrapping their heads around IG, it is critical to begin involving and training your organization’s workforce community in the principles and practices of IG sooner rather than later. The Pocket Glossary of Health Informat....

The current demand for coders is extremely high, making it more important than ever for new coders to enter our industry. Many of us are asked, "How do I get into coding?" We then see posts on message boards from students who just graduated saying they can't find a job because they ha....

For many years, health information management (HIM) professionals have been responsible for locating a complete patient record in a timely manner to provide a solid foundation for clinical decision making. When one healthcare system started noticing a high rate of duplicate records in thei....

Coding productivity is predicted to take a dip during the transition to ICD-10. That dip can be a minor speed bump or a gigantic crater, depending on many factors—which can be mitigated in these last few months leading up to implementation.

With just four months until the big implementation day, you are probably feeling one of two things… Relief that it’s finally here and you can begin putting into practice everything you’ve learned over the past 5-6 years of preparation, or panic because you still have much more to do to pre....

If you don't use it, you lose it. This is true for much of what we learn in life, and it’s particularly true when it comes to ICD-10-CM/PCS. Although most organizations initiated ICD-10 coder training in 2013, many decided to cease training and dual coding practice after the second ICD-10....

Ask any coder about the ICD-10 transition, and he or she will likely tell you that it hasn’t been easy. Coders working in physician practices have had a tough time. Many of these coders have more responsibilities than their inpatient coder counterparts. Physician practice coders may even b....

The legislative and regulatory delays for the go-live date for ICD-10-CM/PCS have left some hospitals and physician practices skittish about investing in training and education programs. While a “boy who cried wolf” syndrome exists in some corners of healthcare, fo....

With just six months until the implementation of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS, now is the time for HIM professionals to re-evaluate the state of their facility’s implementation plan and make any necessary adjustments to ensure a successful transition. Previous delays may have slowed down....

The transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS has been a roller coaster ride for HIM professionals. The industry has prepared, delayed, prepared, delayed, and prepared again—this time with the expectation that the new coding system will finally go live on October 1, 2015. With its ups and downs, ICD-10 imple....

A new year often inspires us to reflect on past experiences. This is certainly true when preparing coders for ICD-10. Ask yourself these questions: In terms of coder training, what worked well for your organization and your team in 2014? What aspects of coder training can be improved or en....

North Shore-LIJ Health System, a group of 17 hospitals in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County, NY, had been facing a coder shortage and wasn’t happy with the contract coders they were working with.

Release of information (ROI) has become a complex area for health information management (HIM) professionals. ROI staff and HIM management now must question and dissect every line on a request prior to release. Because of this, a quick reminder on some of the complex ROI risks is appropria....

Research and release of information (ROI) statistics confirm that more and more patients want access to their information, are requesting health records, and have started organizing their health histories. Trained ROI specialists are in high demand—receiving requests and helping pati....

With the ICD-10-CM/PCS compliance deadline looming, acute care and ambulatory coding staff continue to focus on discovering new mitigation strategies to offset the anticipated loss of productivity that is expected to come with ICD-10 implementation. One strategy, implementing computer-ass....

There are two major challenges currently plaguing the coder workforce. The first is new graduates are finding it difficult to land jobs due to a lack of experience. Second, healthcare organizations are struggling to recruit experienced coders to fill vacancies.

A strong clinical documentation improvement (CDI) program begins with the proper recruitment, careful selection, and adequate orientation of CDI specialists. The purpose of a CDI program is to initiate concurrent and retrospective reviews of health records for conflicting, incomplete, or nonspe....

As organizations respond and adapt to the internal and external constraints and pressures of the industry, it is important not to forget about one of its most vital resources…that being its people resources. Employee engagement is not merely about people being happy at w....

Three…two…one…ready or not, here it comes! There’s no turning back. The date has been set and we’ve got to be prepared for the implementation of ICD-10 on Oct 1, 2013. The clock moves forward, but we’re still busy with our day-to-day responsibilities and....

Change happens. It’s part of everyday life. If you’ve been in the HIM industry for more than a year or two, you’ve probably gone through at least one, if not several, changes in the technology that you use to do your job. New functionality and fancie....

Although the ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation deadline is two and a half years away, it is not too early to begin planning coder training. Solid training plans will ensure a smooth transition and minimize the transition's impact on productivity. A well-planned training strategy will ensure that co....

It may be said that healthcare organizations are challenged more today to meet the changing requirements of the industry than at any other time in history. The scope of regulations that drives the business of healthcare is astounding. Hospitals are provided directi....

These are exciting times in the world of health information management. Across the country, hospitals, health networks, physician offices, etc. are implementing technology – the fabled electronic or computerized health record. This movement is being incented by a variety....

The matrix tool is a model that captures the basic core competencies and sorts on those competencies thought to be applicable to each of varied roles and settings of healthcare delivery, and the workflow needs of each.

Editor’s note: In the September issue, we featured a story on training’s growing role in HIM (see “Tips for Trainers”). That discussion continues here with the differences between conducting training in large and small facilities.

The Good Samaritan Society owns or manages Christian Communities of Care in 24 states, employs 24,000 staff members, and serves more than 28,000 residents. Healthcare services of the Society include skilled nursing, sub-acute care; home health care; adult day care; and Alzheim....

What’s that sound? It could be your cell phone ringing…but it’s really a reminder to update your technology skills. Here’s the connection: Your cell phone may have the latest bells and whistles, but do you know how to use them? Likewise, are you a proficient user of the....

Northwest Health System followed a smooth launch of a coding product with something a little more ambitious—a beta version of a document management system. In April 2005 Northwest Health System in Springdale, AR, implemented Web-based coding to boost productivity. The system....

Creating a successful training program begins with asking the right questions and taking time on the plans, as one expert testifies. Imagine sitting at your desk. The phone rings. It's your boss. You've just been tasked with an electronic health record (EHR) training initiative inv....

As the bar rises for coding, healthcare organizations require more education from coders—and they are willing to deliver it, too. The bar has always been high for mdical coding, but recent years have seen it boosted higher. As a result, healthcare organizations need more from code....

Digest this number-$51.3 billion. That’s how much companies in the United States will spend training their employees during 2003. This number may sound high, but it’s down five percent from 2002 and nearly 10 percent from 2001. In fact, according to a report by Training magazine, this is the fi....

Has your organization addressed sanctions related to privacy and security issues? Both the final privacy rule and final security rule address this issue. The privacy rule states that the covered entity must have and apply appropriate sanctions against members of its workforce who fail to....

HIPAA compliance might be one of the biggest challenges of the decade for covered entitiesand not only because of all the new requirements. Simply reading and interpreting the regulations has proven to be a monumental task. So how can a HIPAA team leader make staff enthusiastic about lea....

Over the past two years, health information managers have been involved in planning and implementing workplace changes in anticipation of the medical privacy requirements of HIPAA. One of those compliance requirements is to provide employee training. Organizations subject to HIPAA must....

Are high costs and potential downtime preventing your staff from receiving much-needed training? E-learning offers more than a solution to these concerns: its a better way to learn. In this article, find out how e-learning works and how to implement an e-learning program in your or....

Thanks to HIPAA, HIM professionals have an exciting career opportunity before them. The final privacy rule requires that covered providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses designate a privacy officer to oversee the development and implementation of privacy policies and pro....

The meeting of the newly formed Information Security Committee is about to conclude, but before it does, the COO turns to you and says, “I’d like you to coordinate our educational awareness program. I know this is a big responsibility, but I believe that with your commitment and skills, you ca....

Organizations must provide general awareness training for every employee and affiliate. This process should build general awareness of confidentiality and security issues for all employees. For employees with access to electronic health information, the organization should include job-specific....

Once you have hired the right candidate for your vacant position, it's time to orient and train. When I had access to a plethora of qualified candidates, managed a department with infrequent turnover, and employed credentialed staff who were all cross-trained to handle other positions....

Driven by current and potential privacy regulations and legislation, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) decided to address employee understanding of information security. In 1999, CHOP, comprised of a hospital, rehabilitation facility, physician offices, satellites, and ambulatory....

The uses of the Internet are well known, but companywide intranets are popular as well. In this article, two HIM professionals share how their organizations are putting the power of intranets to work for training, communicating, and more. An Intranet in the Healthcare Environm....